American democracy shows symptoms of a profound mid-life crisis. Voter participation is anemic. Public
discourse has become feverish, testy and mean spirited. The body politic disintegrates into warring interest groups.
American citizenship is stricken with a migraine brought on by fears of illegal immigration, race conflict and
crime. The concept of the public good has become infected with a virus of unbridled self-interest. Governance is
becoming paralyzed, because the electorate views political leaders as ethical amnesiacs addicted to power. Do these
symptoms spell a momentary identity crisis, permanent malaise, or the beginning of a systematic breakdown?
Producer Bill Drummond explores causes and possible cures for what analyst describe as a corrosive cynicism that
threatens to undermine American politics.